Anti-radial tilt device for receiver-type hitch

ABSTRACT

A device for eliminating radial tilting in a receiver-type hitch due to rotational moment on the shank includes a collar, and three adjustment bolts. The collar has a center bar and a pair of side walls forming a U-shaped bracket that can fit over a reinforcing lip of the hitch receiver tube. A front wall on the collar has an opening for receiving a mount shank as it enters the receiver tube. The three adjustment bolts extend through the center bar to tighten the collar onto the hitch receiver tube. When the center adjustment bolt is tightened, the collar is secured onto the hitch receiver tube. When the adjustment bolts are tightened, the center bar of the collar moves downward away from the receiver tube, causing the opening in the front wall to pull down the shank against the inner wall of the tube and prevent radial tilting within the tube. Therefore, the anti-radial tilt device prevents radial tilting on receiver-type hitch components due to rotational moment created by unbalanced load on a hitch carrier.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to securing receiver-type hitches which are commonly used to mount a trailer to a vehicle or used to secure cargo racks, motorcycle racks, and other devices having a mounting member adapted for insertion into a receiver-type hitch. Receiver-type hitches typically include a mount and a receiver tube that can be placed into and removed from the receiver tube. The mount has a shank having a generally square cross-section that fits within the receiver tube. A cross pin is then inserted through the tube and shank to lock the mount to the tube. Clearance must also be provided between the cross pin and corresponding holes in the receiver and shank to facilitate insertion and removal of the cross pin. The receiver tube is slightly larger than the shank to facilitate engagement with the mount shank. Therefore due to unbalanced load on the hitch trailer, and clearance between the shank and receiver, the shank tends to rotate inside the receiver, causing the hitch carrier to radial tilt. The radial tilting of hitch carriers are a common incidence in receiver-type hitch carriers, due to the unbalanced loads they carry, and to the space between the receiver tube and the shank mount. While various devices may have been proposed to reduce rattling, and may be suitable for the particular purpose they address, they would not be suitable for the purpose of the present invention heretofore described. One known device has a U-shaped collar having a square opening for receiving the tube. The collar slides over the end of the receiver tube and is attached to the tube with one bolt. When that one bolt is tightened it constricts the shank mount against the receiver tube reducing the free play movement. While tightening that one bolt may prevent rattling of the shank within the tube, that one bolt acts as a pivot for the shank allowing for the hitch carrier to tilt. It would be very favorable if a means could be provided that eliminates the free radial tilt movement between a mount shank, and hitch receiver tube due to rotational motion created by unbalance loads. The present invention provides such a device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is of the objective of the present invention to prevent the radial tilting of unbalanced cargo racks, motorcycle racks, and other devices having a mounting member adapted for insertion into a receiver-type hitch. Such a device eliminates the rotational moment on the shank by securing its position within a hitch receiver tube. The invention is a device which includes a collar having a front plate with an aperture for receiving the mount shank, side plates and a center bar that contains three threaded throughbores for receiving adjustment bolts. The collar's front and side walls are shaped to fit over a reinforcing lip on the receiver tube, and the center bar is large enough to cover the reinforcing lip completely. When a device such as a hitch carrier is fastening into a vehicle, the mount shank is inserted through the front plate aperture of the collar into the receiver tube. A cross pin is then introduced into the corresponding holes in both the receiver tube and shank to secure the two components together. To hold the shank and receiver tube together with an equally distributed force to prevent radial tilting, three bolts are tightened through the throughbore on the center bar. When the center adjustment bolt is tightened, the collar is secured onto the hitch receiver tube. When the side adjustment bolts are tightened, the center bar of the collar moves downward away from the receiver tube, causing the opening in the front wall to pull down the shank against the inner wall of the tube and prevent radial tilting within the tube. Therefore, the anti-radial tilt device prevents radial tilting on receiver-type hitch components due to rotational moment created by unbalanced load.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective free-body-diagrarn of the anti-radial tilt device securing the mount shank of a hitch carrier to the receiver tube;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the anti-radial tilt device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the anti-radial tilt device securing the mount shank of a hitch carrier to the receiver tube;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the shank mount, anti-radial tilt device, and receiver tube before they are assembled.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the shank mount, anti-radial tilt device, and receiver tube after they are assembled.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the anti-radial tilt device of the present invention before the hitch is assembled;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the anti-radial tilt device.

FIG. 8 is a bottom side view of the anti-radial tilt device.

FIG. 9 is a top side view of the anti-radial tilt device.

FIG. 10 is a right side view of the anti-radial tilt device.

FIG. 11 is a left side view of the anti-radial tilt device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the various figures in which identical elements are numbered identically throughout, a description of various exemplary aspects of the present invention will now be provided. The preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings and described with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments disclosed.

The free-body-diagram of FIG. 1 demonstrates force A acting on one side of the hitch carrier 90 due to a unbalanced load. Force A generates a rotational moment B on shank 14. If the anti-radial tilt device 10 was not in position, the unbalanced load on the hitch carrier 90 would force both the shank 14 and hitch carrier 90 to tilt. Yet when the anti-radial tilt device is positioned and bolts 38, 40, 42 of the anti-radial tilt device 10 are tightened they create force C which is distributed along the width of the shank 14. The shank 14 is then subjected to an equal and opposite force as that of the rotational moment B. The net affect of these forces is zero, which means that neither the shank 14 nor hitch carrier 90 will radial tilt.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 4, an anti-radial tilt device 10 according to the present invention is designed for use with a generally square hitch receiver tube 12 and a mount 14. Mount 14 may include other types of devices such as motorcycles and cargo carriers. The hitch receiver tube 12 commonly has a square opening 18 for receiving a shank portion 16 of the mount 14. Both the receiver tube 12 and the shank 16 have matching through holes 22, 20 that line up with each other when the shank 16 is in a proper orientation within the receiver tube 12. The receiver tube 12 is formed of a hard metal, such as steel. The receiver tube 12 has a reinforcing lip 26 disposed around all four sides of opening 18 of the tube 12 for added strength. The lip 26 is commonly formed from ¼-inch wide steel strips having a thickness more or less the same to that of the wall thickness of the tube 12. The lip 26 can be fastened to the tube 12 using any known means, such as welding.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6 to 11, the anti-radial tilt device 10 contains a collar 28 having a front wall 30, a pair of side walls 32 and a center bar 34. The side walls 32 extend at a right angle to the front wall 30. The front wall 30 has a square opening 36 with proportions that are slightly larger than the dimensions of the shank 16. The opening 36 is larger to allow the shank 16 to pass through the collar 28 and into the receiver tube opening 18, as seen in FIG. 5. Both the side walls 32 extend at a right angle from opposite sides of the front wall 30. When the center bar 34 has been welded into the slits 50 of the side walls 32, they form a cover that can slide over the lip 26 of the receiver tube 12. The side walls 32 are somewhat narrower than the center bar 34.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the anti-radial tilt device 10 is comprised of the collar 28 the center bar 34, and bolts 38, 40, 42. The U-shaped design of the collar 10 can be formed by laser cutting a sheet of steel to obtain the desired dimensions an then bending the side walls 32 at considerable right angles relative to the front wall 30 into their corresponding orthogonal position, In the laser process, opening 36 is cut on the front wall, and slits 50 are cut along the width of the side walls 32. The center bar 34 can be formed by saw cutting a steel bar to dimension and then drilling the three screw holes 44, 46, 48. The center bar 34 is then welded into the slits 50, in an obtuse angle position.

Once the collar 28 is in place on the receiver tube 12, with the opening 36 of the front wall aligned with the opening 18 of the receiver tube, three sides of the receiver tube 12 are covered with the center bar 34 and side walls 32. Openings 36 from the collar and opening 18 from the receiver tube together receive the shank 16 of the mount 14 as it is introduced into the hitch receiver tube 12. The throughbore 46 is positioned on the center bar 34 so that the center adjustment bolt 40 will contact the receiver tube 12 behind the reinforcing lip 26 once the center adjustment bolt 40 is inserted. When the side adjustment bolts 38, 42 are tightened on the center bar 34, the center bar 34 of the collar moves downward away from the receiver tube 12. This motion causes the opening 18 in the front wall 30 to pull down the shank 14 against the inner wall of the tube and prevent radial tilt within the tube, due to rotational moment created by the unbalanced load. The radial tilt-free relationship between the mount shank 16 and the receiver tube 12 is conducted by first placing the collar 28 of the anti-radial tilt device 10 over the lip 26 of the receiver tube 12, positioning opening 36 of collar 28 with opening 18 of the receiver mount 12. The shank 16 of mount 14 is then introduced into the receiver tube 12 through collar opening 36 and receiver tube opening 18. Before the bolts on the center bar 34 may be adjusted the receiver tube mount 12 and the shank 16 need to be held in the proper towing position. In order to hold receiver tube mount 12 and shank 16 in the proper position, a hitch pin 60 is introduced into the through holes 20, 22. The position of hitch pin 60 is then secured in the through holes 20, 22 by a wedged hair pin 70 over the hitch pin.

As shown in FIG. 5, once the mount 14 is secured inside the hitch receiver tube 12, the center bolt 40 of the center bar 34 is adjusted. Tightening the center bolt 40, locks the anti-radial tilt device 10 into position preventing it from slipping of the receiver tube. Unbalanced loads on the hitch carrier the shank 16 receives rotational moment, therefore the slight dimensional difference between the receiver tube 12 and the shank 16 allows shank 16 to radial tilt inside the receiver tube 12, allowing the whole hitch carrier to radial tilt. To fasten the shank 16 into place and eliminate the radial tilt, the adjustment bolts 34 and 38 on the center bar 34 can be tightened. The tightening action of adjustment bolts 34 and 38 move the collar 28 downwards away from the receiver tube, causing the opening in the front wall to pull down the shank against the inner wall of the tube creating a uniform force on the shank. This eliminates the radial tilt of the shank within the receiver tube. By using the anti-radial tilt device 10, the radial tilt of the shank within the receiver tube and that of the hitch carrier is eliminated.

It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the methods and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. 

1. An anti-radial tilt device intended for use with a receiver-style hitch having a mount and a receiver tube, the device comprising: a collar having a front wall and a center bar in a obtuse angle to the front wall, and the side walls in right angles to the center bar and the front wall, the front wall having an opening to receive the mount therethrough, the center bar having three threaded throughbore; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with reinforce lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. Due to the obtuse angle of the center bar to the front wall of the anti-radial tilt device, when the side bolts are tightened they force the anti-radial tilt device to slip off the receiver tube. Therefore the center bolt of the three adjustment bolts locks the anti-radial tilt device into position by extending through the throughbores of the center bar to contact the receiver tube behind the reinforced lip. The center adjustment bolt tightened behind the reinforced lip counteracts the force created by the side adjustment bolts keeping the collar from slipping off the position on the receiver tube.
 2. The anti-radial tilt device of claim 1, in which said collar includes two side walls, each extending at a right angle from opposite edges of the front wall.
 3. The anti-radial tilt device of claim 2, in which said collar is shaped by laser cutting a flat piece of metal, bending the flat piece of metal at right angles to form the side walls, and welding the center bar into the slits along the width of the side walls and in a obtuse angle to the front wall.
 4. The anti-radial tilt device of claim 1, in which the device is placed on the receiver tube such that the center bar and the adjustment bolts are located at the bottom surface of the receiver tube.
 5. A system for preventing radial tilting in a receiver hitch assembly, comprising: a mount having a shank portion; a receiver tube shaped to receive the shank portion of said mount; a collar having a front wall, a center bar welded in the slits of the side walls in an obtuse angle to the front wall, the front wall having an opening to receive the shank portion of said mount therethrough, the center bar having a three threaded throughbores, and two side walls, each of the side wall extending at a right angle from opposite edges of the front wall, each side wall, containing a slit along their width; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with reinforce lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. Due to the obtuse angle of the center bar to the front wall of the anti-radial tilt device, when the side bolts are tightened they force the anti-radial tilt device to slip off the receiver tube. Therefore the center bolt of the three adjustment bolts locks the anti-radial tilt device into position by extending through the throughbores of the center bar to contact the receiver tube behind the reinforced lip. The center adjustment bolt tightened behind the reinforced lip counteracts the force created by the side adjustment bolts keeping the collar from slipping off the position on the receiver tube.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein said receiver tube has a reinforcing lip disposed around the opening of the receiver tube, were the side walls extending over a segment of the reinforcing lip, and wherein the throughbores are located on the center bar such that the adjustment bolts contact the receiver tube behind the reinforcing lip.
 7. A method for preventing radial tilting in a receiver-style hitch having a mount and a receiver tube, the method comprising: placing a collar having a front wall, and two side walls in right angle positions to the front wall, and a center bar welded in the slits of the side walls, in an obtuse angle to the front wall, where the center bar is positioned over the end of the receiver tube; introducing the shank portion of the mount into the receiver tube through an opening in the front wall of the collar; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with reinforce lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. Due to the obtuse angle of the center bar to the front wall of the anti-radial tilt device, when the side bolts are tightened they force the anti-radial tilt device to slip off the receiver tube. Therefore the center bolt of the three adjustment bolts locks the anti-radial tilt device into position by extending through the throughbores of the center bar to contact the receiver tube behind the reinforced lip. The center adjustment bolt tightened behind the reinforced lip counteracts the force created by the side adjustment bolts keeping the collar from slipping off the position on the receiver tube.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tightening step includes adjusting the three bolts positioned in the throughbores of the center bar to eliminate the radial tilting of the shank inside the receiver tube.
 9. The method of claim 8, in which the threading step includes threading the three adjustment bolts such that the side bolts contact the reinforced lip around the opening of the receiver tube, and the center bolt contact the receiver tube behind the reinforcing lip.
 10. A system for preventing radial tilting in a receiver-type hitch, comprising: a mount having a shank portion; a receiver tube having an opening to receive the shank portion of said mount and a reinforced lip disposed around the opening; a collar having a front wall, a center bar positioned in a obtuse angle to the front wall, the front wall having an opening to receive the shank portion of said mount therethrough, the center bar having three threaded throughbore, and two side walls, each side wall extending at a right angle from opposite edges of the front wall and extending over a portion of the reinforcing lip on said receiver tube; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with reinforce lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. Due to the obtuse angle of the center bar to the front wall of the anti-radial tilt device, when the side bolts are tightened they force the anti-radial tilt device to slip off the receiver tube. Therefore the center bolt of the three adjustment bolts locks the anti-radial tilt device into position by extending through the throughbores of the center bar to contact the receiver tube behind the reinforced lip. The center adjustment bolt tightened behind the reinforced lip counteracts the force created by the side adjustment bolts keeping the collar from slipping off the position on the receiver tube.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein said collar is placed on said receiver tube such that the center bar and said adjustment bolts are located on a bottom surface of said receiver tube.
 12. An anti-radial tilt device for use with a receiver-style hitch having a receiver tube and a mount, the device comprising: a collar having a front wall and a center bar welded in the slits of the side walls in a obtuse angle to the front wall, and two side walls, each extending at a right angle from opposite edges of the front wall, the front wall having an opening to receive the mount therethrough, the center bar having three threaded throughbore; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with reinforce lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. Due to the obtuse angle of the center bar to the front wall of the anti-radial tilt device, when the side bolts are tightened they force the anti-radial tilt device to slip off the receiver tube. Therefore the center bolt of the three adjustment bolts locks the anti-radial tilt device into position by extending through the throughbores of the center bar to contact the receiver tube behind the reinforced lip. The center adjustment bolt tightened behind the reinforced lip counteracts the force created by the side adjustment bolts keeping the collar from slipping off the position on the receiver tube.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein said collar is formed by stamping a flat piece of metal, bending the flat piece of metal at substantially right angles to form the side walls, and welding the center bar into the slits of the side walls.
 14. An anti-radial tilt device for use with a receiver-style hitch having a receiver tube and a mount, the device comprising: a collar having a front wall and a center bar welded in the slits of the side walls in a obtuse angle to front wall, and the side walls at right angles to the front wall and the center bar, the front wall having an opening to receive the mount therethrough, the center bar having three threaded throughbores; two side bolts of the three adjustment bolts extending through the throughbores of the center bar come in contact with the reinforced lip around the opening of the receiver tube. The adjustment side bolts are movable within the throughbores to move the center bar of said collar away from the receiver tube to draw the opening in the front wall against the shank portion of the mount and force the shank portion of the mount against the inner walls of the receiver tube. The center bolt of the three adjustment bolts extends through the throughbores to keep the collar from slipping out off position on the receiver tube. 